1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrochemical cells and implantable medical devices powered by such cells. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electrochemical cell hermetically connected to an implantable or exploratory medical device to form an implantable medical assembly. That way, the cell serves as the power source for the medical device with both the cell and device being exposed to body fluid. The assembly is sufficiently small to be suitable for minimally invasive deployment into a human body, such as for deployment through the vasculature of the body.
2. Description of Related Art
Recent advances in electrochemical cell technology have resulted in cells that have high discharge rate capability and high energy density. These cells are sufficiently compact in size to render them suitable for use in implantable medical devices such as cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators.
U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2007/0122697 of Wutz et al., which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference, describes one such exemplary electrochemical cell comprising a substantially rectangular casing, and a mating terminal connector adapted to be connected to the ferrule and the conductive center pin of the cell. The terminal connector is provided for easily and quickly connecting the cell to a circuit board of the kind found in an implantable medical device, such as a cardiac pacemaker, defibrillator, neurostimulator, or drug pump.
Although the cell of Wutz et al. is suitable for use with many implantable medical devices, continuing medical advances are driving a need for even smaller cells that may be assembled with more compact implantable devices, or with exploratory medical devices that may be deployed into the human vasculature, digestive tract, lungs, or other tissues.
What is needed, therefore, is an electrochemical cell that is further miniaturized and connected to a correspondingly miniaturized medical device to provide an implantable assembly. In such a configuration, the cell of the assembly is external to the medical device, and thus must be exposable to bodily fluids without a detrimental effect to either the cell or the body in which it is deployed.